WM$NA: Interview With SL Journo : W. James Au

Over on WeMakeMoneyNotArt, Regine Batty interviews W. James Au otherwise known as Helmet Au – a journalist that covers the first and virtual world goings on of Second Life. Lots of fascinating insights here including James’ answer to this question:

Regine: I have something to confess. i’m really fascinated by the game culture but last time i played, i was 8 year old, wearing a mustard skirt, eating dots and was chased in a maze by ghosts. Never played any online game ever since. Do you think i’m missing something? Give me at least three reasons why i should start playing too.

James: Because if you do, you can explore an artificial ecosystem, experience a first-person simulation of schizophrenia, and participate in a virtual Burning Man where you don’t need to pay several hundred dollars or endure long waits at the Porta Potty. What an online world like Second Life makes possible is a convergence between gaming and everything else that makes life worthwhile– politics, science, ideas, art, spirituality, love, desire, community. In SL, you can create a place for these essential elements of the human experience in what superficially resembles a video game, and *play* with them on a tactile, immersive level. Ms. Pac Man still dodges her ghosts– but now she can also meet one of the world’s most influential political analysts, experience an interactive art installation memorializing the bombing of Hiroshima, or get a hands-on demonstration of evolution in action.

we make money not art: Interview of W. James Au AKA Hamlet Au